“Does Legalizing Active Euthanasia Lead To Slippery Slope In Concerned Countries”: A Comparative And Critical Analysis Of Provisions Of Euthanasia In Netherlands And Canada
Ritwik Mahanti, KIIT School of Law, Bhubneshwar, Odisha
ABSTRACT
Many countries today in our world are deciding whether or not to legalize active Euthanasia. One of its major criticisms is that it subsequently leads to what some experts called a “slippery slope” in which Euthanasia is even extended to even those categories of people who do not require it. It leads to a reduction in no of people who opt for medical care instead. Many experts against legalizing active Euthanasia cite the example of the Netherlands warning potential countries who might legalize active Euthanasia. This paper aims to verify whether the rising no of people opting for Euthanasia in the Netherlands is due to the legalization of active Euthanasia or it can be attributed to other factors, and if so, to what extent they are responsible. Further, it also verifies this claim by analysing assisted suicide in Canada, its mechanism, and safeguards to form an opinion regarding whether or not Canada suffers from the effects of a slippery slope. These countries are compared because both of these countries follow different mechanisms for allowing Euthanasia even though active Euthanasia is legalized in complete or partial form in these countries.
The author aims to study both mechanisms, evaluate their criticisms and then judge whether legalizing active Euthanasia can trigger a slippery slope.
Keywords: Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia. Physician-Assisted Suicide, Slippery slope.
